Saltwater Pools vs Chlorine Pools Which Are Better

According to a pool plaster repair company, If you want to install a pool but you’re torn between installing a saltwater pool or a chlorine pool, below are some points of comparison to help you make the right decision. Identify your needs first to clearly see which between these two pools can provide for them exactly.

1. Chlorine Content

It’s a common misconception that if you want to have a pool without chlorine, you should install a saltwater pool. That’s not entirely true. Saltwater pools do have chlorine content in them too, although it’s typically lower than that of traditional chlorine pools. As a matter of fact, the chlorine content in saltwater pools is a result of the chemical electrolysis happening inside the salt water generator. So in essence, you don’t have to add chlorine to the pool manually. It’s produced automatically.

2. Installation

Between these two pools, you may have already guessed that installing saltwater pools is a little bit more expensive. This is because you’d have to purchase the salt water generator separately. Plus it has to run anywhere from 4 to 12 hours a day, depending on what season it is, to maintain the quality of water and prevent algae buildup. So when it comes to installation and long-term electrical consumption, saltwater pool clearly costs more.

Chlorine pools and saltwater pools cost fairly the same when it comes to installation as they follow the same construction methods. However, if you intend to make yours a saltwater pool, you have to add around $700 to $900 for the saltwater converter and prepare to pay an additional $150 per day for that plus electricity costs. For chlorine pools, you’ll only spend around $520 every five months, which is mostly during the summer. And you will also have to put into consideration when you need to do any pool remodeling.

3. Maintenance

The maintenance of saltwater pools is fairly different from chlorine pools. It’s because the saltwater generator does half the job of slightly chlorinating the water and deterring algae growth. With chlorine pools, you manually do those things. That’s why a lot of pool owners would rather hire pool maintenance experts regularly run chemical tests to keep everything in balance. With saltwater pools, the only maintenance you do is skimming bugs and leaves. You can practically opt to do a full maintenance once a year.

4. Health Concerns

The water in the saltwater pool feels softer to the skin, which is because of its less chlorine content. That’s also the reason why it’s considered as the healthier option. Too much chlorine may possibly cause skin, hair, and eye irritations.

These are the four points of comparison that you should consider to help you decide if chlorine pools would work for you or if you rather have a saltwater pool in your home. It all depends on how much you’re willing to spend on your pool. Saltwater pool is the best option if you don’t want to be bothered by the meticulous maintenance needs of chlorine pools. But that also means you’ll have to spend more during installation and in the long run.